News Release
Telemedicine Can Help Safety-Net Providers Expand Specialized Medical Services
Jul 29, 2020
RAND researchers describe promising practices identified by staff from nine health centers in California that were participating in the Sustainable Models of Telehealth in the Safety Net initiative. These practices show the potential to support the growth and sustainability of telemedicine programs in safety-net settings. However, there is not yet sufficient evidence to prove that such practices will be effective across settings.
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As part of the Sustainable Models of Telehealth in the Safety Net initiative process evaluation, staff from health centers in California described numerous promising practices that facilitated telemedicine implementation. In the context of the initiative, a promising practice was defined as a practice that shows potential to support the growth and sustainability of telemedicine programs in safety-net settings. Promising practices are associated with successful outcomes in certain circumstances. However, there is not yet sufficient evidence to prove that they will be effective across settings. The practices discussed in this report fall into the following categories: practices to reduce or manage no-shows, practices to facilitate communication between primary care providers and specialists, practices for negotiating favorable contracts with telemedicine providers, practices to reduce obligations for on-site staff, practices to improve patient buy-in for telemedicine, practices to improve provider buy-in for telemedicine, practices to improve sustainability, and miscellaneous practices.
This research was funded by the California Health Care Foundation and conducted by the Access and Delivery Program within RAND Health Care.
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